Thursday, January 29, 2009

NARITA, Chiba Pref. (Kyodo) Medical and immigration staff at Narita International Airport were put on high alert Jan. 22 when a Taiwanese passenger arriving from Hong Kong collapsed with a fever and was suspected of having a new type of bird flu, it was learned Thursday.

False alarm: A Taiwanese passenger arriving from Hong Kong on Jan. 22 was suspected of having a new type of bird flu and rushed to Narita International Airport's clinic. KYODO PHOTO

A medical examination, however, found that the man was suffering from drug poisoning after having swallowed about 90 pouches containing illegal stimulants.

The man went into convulsions and fell into a coma in a customs inspections area after arriving on a Cathay Pacific flight, and a preliminary medical test indicated he was possibly suffering bird flu.

Officials briefly quarantined customs and immigration officers who were in contact with the man and closed an airport clinic that conducted the initial tests. A detailed exam later pointed to drug poisoning.